Amazing Kodachrome Slides of Sydney From Above in 1970

Sydney in the early 1970s was a city on the cusp of transformation, both culturally and socially. It was a time of change, with the lingering echoes of the 1960s counterculture blending into the evolving landscape of the ’70s. The city’s skyline was rapidly changing, with the construction of the iconic Sydney Opera House in full swing, and the Harbour Bridge still standing as a symbol of the city’s past.

The streets of Sydney, particularly in areas like Kings Cross and Darlinghurst, were lively and buzzing with the energy of a more liberal social atmosphere. The rise of cafes, art galleries, and small theaters gave birth to a burgeoning counterculture, as people sought a more relaxed, open lifestyle.

These amazing Kodachrome slides from mjcas that captured Sydney from above in February 1970.

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The Amazing Story of Running Legend Cliff Young, the 61 Year Old Farmer Who Won the World’s Toughest Race in 1983

Every year from between 1983 and 1991, Australia held 543.7-mile (875-kilometer) endurance racing from Sydney to Melbourne. It is considered among the world’s most grueling ultra-marathons. The race takes five days to complete and is normally only attempted by world-class athletes who train specially for the event. These athletes are typically less than 30 years old and backed by large companies such as Nike.

In 1983, a man named Cliff Young showed up at the start of this race. He was 61 years old and wore overalls and work boots. To everyone’s shock, Cliff wasn’t a spectator. He picked up his race number and joined the other runners. The press and other athletes became curious and questioned Cliff. They told him, “You’re crazy, there’s no way you can finish this race.” To which he replied, “Yes I can. See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn’t afford horses or tractors, and the whole time I was growing up, whenever the storms would roll in, I’d have to go out and round up the sheep. We had 2,000 sheep on 2,000 acres. Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time, but I’d always catch them. I believe I can run this race.”

When the race started, the pros quickly left Cliff behind. The crowds and television audience were entertained because Cliff didn’t even run properly; he appeared to shuffle. Many even feared for the old farmer’s safety. All of the professional athletes knew that it took about 5 days to finish the race. In order to compete, one had to run about 18 hours a day and sleep the remaining 6 hours. The thing is, Cliff Young didn’t know that!

When the morning of the second day came, everyone was in for another surprise. Not only was Cliff still in the race, he had continued jogging all night. Eventually Cliff was asked about his tactics for the rest of the race. To everyone’s disbelief, he claimed he would run straight through to the finish without sleeping.

Cliff kept running. Each night he came a little closer to the leading pack. By the final night, he had surpassed all of the young, world-class athletes. He was the first competitor to cross the finish line and he set a new course record.

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Nurse in the Interior of Coast Hospital Horsedrawn Ambulance in Sydney, ca. 1900s

In the early 1900s, the sight of a nurse seated on the back of a horse-drawn ambulance at the Coast Hospital in Sydney was a testament to the grit and determination of medical professionals in a time of limited technology. The clatter of horses' hooves echoed through the hospital grounds as the ambulance made its way to the hospital, a stark contrast to the modern, motorized vehicles we see today.

This nurse, with her crisp white uniform and steadfast demeanor, embodied the spirit of an era when healthcare was as much about dedication as it was about skill. The Coast Hospital, which would later become the Prince of Wales Hospital, was a beacon of hope for the sick and injured.

Here, patients were transported not by the hum of an engine, but by the steady trot of a horse, each journey a reminder of the lengths to which medical staff would go to provide care.

As the ambulance pulled up to the hospital entrance, the nurse prepared to assist the patient, her calm presence a source of comfort in a time of uncertainty. This scene, simple yet profound, highlights a chapter in Sydney’s healthcare history when even the most basic of resources were used with utmost care and compassion. In the face of adversity, these early healthcare workers forged a path that would lead to the advanced medical services we rely on today.

(Photos by © Museums of History NSW - State Archives Collection)

Bohemian Sydney Through Brian Bird’s Lens

From the late 19th century to the early 1970s, there was a distinctive bohemian subculture in Sydney. Alternative thinkers gathered in private houses, clubs and coffee houses. Some of the best known bohemian hangouts were Kings Cross and the area around Rowe Street (demolished in the 1970s to make way for the MLC Centre).

One of these Rowe Street cafes, the Lincoln Coffee Lounge, is considered the birthplace of the “Sydney Push” movement in its early days, just after the war. A popular meeting place for artists and writers, it comprised a mixture of university students, lecturers, Bohemians & Libertarians.

These fascinating photos from State Library of New South Wales were taken by Brian Bird that show Bohemian life in Sydney around 1948 and 1951.

‘Johnno’ Robert Johnson; unknown from Lincoln Coffee Lounge & Cafe, Rowe Street, Sydney, 1948-1951

Anne Barrett from Lincoln Coffee Lounge & Cafe, Rowe Street, Sydney, 1948-1951

Dick Gooding (on right of door) from Lincoln Coffee Lounge & Cafe, Rowe Street, Sydney, 1948-1951

Dick Gooding, journalist from Lincoln Coffee Lounge & Cafe, Rowe Street, Sydney, 1948-1951

Ede Cohen (usually on cash register); or Martin Edie from Lincoln Coffee Lounge & Cafe, Rowe Street, Sydney, 1948-1951

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Car Accident at Westgate Service Station in Annandale, Sydney, January 1940

January 1, 1940, Westgate Service Station in Annandale, Sydney: 1938 Ford V8 hits parked 1935 Ford Model C (four cylinder), lifting it up onto footpath and into petrol pumps; it takes out one pump and ends up against another pump; fire was put out fairly quickly by fire trucks from two stations. There was no one in the Model C at the time and the V8 driver was charged with drink driving.

Sydney in the Early 1980s Through Fascinating Photos

Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia’s east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 70 km (43.5 mi) towards the Blue Mountains to the west, Hawkesbury to the north, the Royal National Park to the south and Macarthur to the south-west.

Sydney is made up of 658 suburbs, spread across 33 local government areas. Residents of the city are known as “Sydneysiders”. The city is home to approximately 66% of the state’s population. Nicknames of the city include the ‘Emerald City’ and the ‘Harbour City’.

Despite being one of the most expensive cities in the world, Sydney frequently ranks in the top ten most liveable cities in the world. Established in 1850, the University of Sydney was Australia's first university and is regarded as one of the world's leading universities.

Sydney is among the top fifteen most-visited cities in the world, with millions of tourists coming each year to see the city’s landmarks. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House are major tourist attractions. Central Station is the hub of Sydney’s rail network, and the main passenger airport serving the city is Kingsford Smith Airport, one of the world’s oldest continually operating airports.

These fascinating photos were taken by pszz that show street scenes of Sydney in 1981.

Elizabeth Street, Sydney, Australia, 1981

Elizabeth Street, Sydney, Australia, 1981

Bridge, Pier One Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia, 1981

Capitol BMW, Sydney, Australia, 1981

Channel 10 News car, Elizabeth Street, Sydney, Australia, 1981

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Ride From Perth to Sydney in 22 Days, a Record Tandem Ride From 1933

On November 4, 1933, William “Billy” Read and Gordon Jones, members of the Bassendean Midland Cycling Club, left the Perth G.P.O. in Forrest Place Perth, in an attempt to ride to Sydney in under 23 days. The solo record at that time was held by another West Australian, Vic Waltham, who had ridden from Sydney to Peith in 26 days 3 hours 8 minutes in 1927.

Jones (left) and Read on their Aussie tandem. (Photo by Sam Hood, via State Library of New South Wales)

The tandem was steered by Read, aged 31 years. He was short and sturdily built and had been a racing cyclist for 17 years. Jones, aged 22 years was taller and lighter than Read and had raced as a West Australian junior. The men had trained for five months, cycling 640 km a week. Their daily average distance had to exceed 190 km a day, a grueling task in view of the unsealed and corrugated roads of those days, and the very rough track between Coolgardie and Adelaide.

Their machine, an Aussie tandem was fitted with the “latest and greatest labor saving device”, a 3 speed Cyclo variable gear, internal brakes and Dunlop Perdriau tires. A tank to hold 9 liters of water was fitted between the frames of the machine. There were no backup vehicles as today’s riders enjoy; between towns they were dependent on their own resources and had to carry all they needed.

Read and Jones were given an enthusiastic send-off by a large crowd. Their cycle was brightly painted and they wore green and gold guernseys, plus-fours riding breeches and white fisher hats. The first three stages were to Cunderdin, Southern Cross and Coolgardie. By November 8, they had reached Balladonia after 15 hours of hard riding through heavy sand and against strong head winds. From Balladonia, the cycle was fully loaded for the crossing of the Nullarbor. The water tank was filled as well as four detachable water flasks. Although they had arranged for food supplies to be left at some stations on the Nullarbor, they carried tinned provisions and a blanket, the necessary spares and a minimum of personal items. The tires had to bear a weight of over 190 kg on very rough roads.

There was no made road across the Nullarbor and at one stage they spent two days wheeling their cycle through heavy sand. Another section was pitted with camel tracks; sometimes the country was overgrown with brush and near the Madura Pass the jagged edge of limestone had been exposed by strong winds. One day they had 12 punctures in 26 km and finished up walking to the next station. In addition, they battled head winds and hot weather. Also near Madura in WA, they attracted the attention of a herd of wild steers. Read later commented that was when they easily registered their fastest burst of speed for the whole trip and just managed to out-distance the herd.

The riders sustained a bad fall approaching Iron Knob in SA. They were descending a hill when the wheel was caught in a rut and they were thrown over the handlebars. Read had numerous abrasions and a badly sprained shoulder, Jones escaped with slight abrasions.

Undaunted, they remounted the cycle and carried on. After leaving Port Augusta, they suffered a blowout due to the great weight on the tires and had to walk 24 km to the next town. Going to bed at midnight, they were up and on their way at 4am covering the remaining 290 km to Adelaide by dark - the journey so far had taken 14 days.

One would have thought that their worries were over but after leaving Adelaide, they encountered heavy rain and further strong head winds which slowed them to an average 11 km/h causing them to fall behind schedule.

Reporting when 160 km out of Melbourne, Read said that they were both very saddle sore and could only ride short distances. In spite of this, once free of the head winds they made good time and when 26 km out of Melbourne they were met by the Australian champion cyclist, Hubert Opperman, who rode with them the remaining distance to the Malvern Star Agency in Elizabeth Street. They were welcomed there by many people prominent in cycling circles but there was no time for self congratulation, they stopped only for a light lunch and started off again on the last leg of the journey to Sydney. From there on, the conditions were vastly improved and Read and Jones made good time, averaging 32 km/h. For the whole trip they had averaged five punctures a day and, except for replacing tires and a few spokes, the Aussie tandem had come through unscathed.

Their arrival in Sydney was reported by the Guardian, Nov 27, 1933.

“Sunburnt and with their equipment spattered with the mud and dust of four states, William Reid (sic) and Gordon Jones of Western Australia, rode their gaily coloured tandem bicycle to the General Post Office at 9am today, and signed a time-sheet which showed that they had ridden 3,003 miles across Australia in 22 days, 17 hours.”

After returning to WA, Read, who had played a leading role in the Bassendean-Midland Cycling Club, became its first life member. He died some years ago.

Gordon Jones, after working for WA Govt. Railways and then manager and part owner of Moondah at Gingin, retired to the metropolitan area becoming an active sportsman, playing bowls with the Bedford Bowling Club. He died in 2013 aged 102 years.

(This original story was published on the Western Australian Historical Cycle Club website here)

Vintage Photographs Capture Everyday Life in Sydney Fifty Years Ago

Sydney is the capital city and most populous city in the state of New South Wales, Australia and Oceania. 

Sydney enhanced its position as an education capital of the Western Pacific during the postwar period. In 1967, Australia Square Tower was constructed and became a city landmark, surpassed in 1981 by Sydney Tower as the tallest building in the city. 

Kings Cross, 1970

Since the 1970s Sydney has undergone a rapid economic and social transformation. As aviation has replaced shipping, most new migrants to Australia have arrived in Sydney by air rather than in Melbourne by ship. As a result, the city has become one of the most multicultural in the world. In 1973, the Sydney Opera House was officially opened, after a long period of planning and construction.

Take a look back at the ‘Emerald City’ in the late 1960s and 1970 through these fascinating vintage pictures, courtesy of Graham Cosserat:

Fitzroy Gardens, King Cross, 1968

Kings Cross, 1968

Kings Cross, 1968

Circular Quay, 1968

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35 Candid and Stylish Mugshots From the Roaring Twenties

The Roaring Twenties was a golden era for criminals when rapid societal change led to the opening up of new illicit markets for entrepreneurial felons. Fast times bred new crimes creating policing challenges ranging from reckless joyriders to the emergence of the Mafia and razor gangs.

Hampton Hirscham, Cornellius Joseph Keevil, William Thomas O’Brien & James O’Brien, 1921

New South Wales Police Department photographers captured the zeitgeist of the era in these unexpectedly candid mug shots of cocaine sellers and addicts, sly-grog purveyors and small-time criminals, who frequented the cells of the Central Police Station in Sydney.

Herbert Ellis, 1920

William Frederick Long, circa 1920

Eugenia Falleni, 1920

Gilbert Cochrane Burleigh & Joseph Delaney, 1920

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Amazing Photographs Capture Street Scenes of Sydney From the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

These amazing photographs were taken by Frederick Danvers Power from between 1898-1926. The photos show street scenes of Sydney, Australia including pedestrians on King Street, George Street, Pitt Street, plus horsedrawn vehicles and activities on York and Castlereagh Streets, including the delivery of ice, bottle and gas cylinders.

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Road Safety Series in Sydney Streets, 1938

A shocking rise in road fatalities prompted the NRMA (formerly National Roads and Motorists’ Association) to launch new safety campaigns. As the number of cars on Sydney’s roads grew through the 1920s and 1930s, the frequency of accidents also increased. This sent the road toll soaring and it soon became clear that new road rules were urgently needed.

The NRMA’s first president John Christian Watson chaired the annual meeting of the NRMA on February 3, 1925 and more than 100 members attended. Road safety dominated the debate and items on the agenda included increasing the inadequate penalties for drunk drivers and requiring applicants for driving licences to answer a series of simple questions about traffic rules.

It was suggested that pedestrians crossing the roads should be regulated and rules of the road should be taught in schools. There was even a less practical suggestion that a code of “horn blast signals” be introduced to alert fellow road users of trouble ahead.

The NRMA’s campaign against road accidents gained impetus and illustrations started appearing in Open Road with grim safety messages. An entire front page on January 22, 1931, was covered with these illustrations, bearing words like “Death rides with the careless driver” and “A fool there was, he took a chance; they carried him off in an ambulance”. The new illustrations and safety messages were then printed on envelopes that were used for NRMA mail-outs.

Even pedestrians were in the NRMA’s firing line. In 1934, the association repeatedly called on the police to enforce regulations and prevent jay-walking. This was for public safety, although a glance at Open Road letters suggests many motorists were more focused on the annoyance of pedestrians getting in their way, rather than holding concern for their well-being.

Following a number of pedestrian fatalities, J. C. Watson asked the Minister for Transport which side of the road pedestrians should walk when there were no footpaths. According to the minister, pedestrians forced to walk on the roadway in the absence of footpaths should keep to the right – the side on which they face oncoming traffic. This would allow them to be more aware of approaching cars and possibly avoid any dangerous situations.

Here, a road safety series in Sydney streets taken by photographer Ray Olson in October 1938 for Pix magazine:

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